Anne-Marie Filkin Lecture
Thriving Amidst Frailty and Decline
Eleanor McConnell, PhD, RN
Much of the discussion regarding frailty among older adults focuses on how to prevent decline through more targeted assessment and biomedical interventions. This session will present perspectives from European literature on thriving among frail older adults as a means of enhancing outcomes for residents in PA/LTC. Eleanor McConnell, PhD, RN, will emphasize how a thriving perspective aligns with ongoing trends in health care, such as those emphasizing person-centered approaches and increased focus on social determinants of health. Challenges and opportunities faced by PA/LTC staff and their leaders seeking to promote resident thriving will be highlighted, such as balancing biomedical and person-centered approaches to care, and reconsidering quality indicators and leadership models.
Dr. McConnell is Associate Professor and Director of the Geriatric Nursing Center of Excellence in the School of Nursing at Duke University, a Senior Fellow of the Duke Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, and a Core Investigator at the Department of Veterans Affairs Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) in Durham, NC. Her research and clinical scholarship focuses on improving quality of life among older adults with complex chronic illnesses, particularly among those who are frail, and those who suffer from major neurocognitive disorders. She has devoted her career to improving quality of life and quality of care among those residing in LTC, and her work has been recognized through the Ewald Busse Award from the NC Department of Health and Human Services for her impact on state-level LTC policy. Her work is published in leading medical and nursing journals, and is co-editor of the pioneering textbook “Matteson and McConnell’s Gerontological Nursing: Concepts and Practice,” first published by Elsevier in 1988.
Learning Objectives:
(1) Define thriving as it pertains to frail older adults living PA/LTC settings.
(2) Analyze how various long-term care staff members can affect core elements of thriving in their daily work.
(3) Contrast quality indicators currently used in PA/LTC, and how they support or interfere with thriving.
(4) Apply the adaptive leadership model to promoting thriving in PA/LTC.
Closing Keynote
The Future is Not What it Used to Be! Innovating for an Unpredictable Tomorrow
Arif Nazir, MD, CMD
Successful innovation requires leadership’s commitment to a culture of rapid experimentation, failure, and iteration. In the words of Louis Gerstner, the iconic retired IBM CEO, “culture isn’t just one aspect of the game – it is the game.” Health care organizations that have historically excelled in now outdated physician-centric culture, are faced with the challenge of implementing technological solutions for patient-centered care delivery. Are we, the members of the PA/LTC community, ready to embrace a new culture? Arif Nazir, MD, CMD, relied on innovation to address a real challenge in his facility. Confronted by a dissatisfied patient who described the health care system as worse than the local burger joint, his team transformed the traditional care-delivery model to a new approach: Patients as the CEO of their health. The success of this approach convinced Dr. Nazir of the value of inventive problem solving, not only at work but also in daily life. Dr. Nazir will highlight his experiences that shaped his perspectives on the power of innovation. As the Chair of the Innovations Platform Advisory Council for the Society, he will share his vision to transform the Society culture to lead meaningful health care innovations.
Arif Nazir, MD, CMD, is a Geriatrician and an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine in University of Louisville. In his current role as the Chief Medical Officer for Signature HealthCare he oversees delivery of innovative clinical programs in more than 125 skilled facilities across ten states. Among many other previous roles, Dr. Nazir provided leadership as the medical director of a unique CMS Innovations project, OPTIMISTIC, that significantly reduced the avoidable hospitalizations of long-stay nursing home patients in 19 Indiana facilities. Dr. Nazir is the Vice President of the Society and also Chairs the Innovation Platform Advisory Committee for the Society.
Learning Objectives:
(1) Recognize the importance of a culture of innovation for organizations.
(2) Describe key innovations that are re-defining health care delivery.
(3) Strategize on how they can promote innovative thinking in their work environments.
(4) Envision Society’s future promotion of innovation in the PA/LTC setting.
Closing Remarks
Mary Evans, MD, CMD, Annual Conference Planning Subcommittee Chair
Speakers 
Arif Nazir, MD, CMD, is a geriatrician and the Chief Medical Officer for Signature HealthCare and in that capacity oversees delivery of innovative clinical programs in more than 130 skilled facilities across ten different states. Among many other previous roles, Dr. Nazir provided...
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Mary Evans, MD, CMD, started a LTC practice eleven years ago, has worked as an attending physician and medical director for several years before being recruited by Golden Living as a Regional Medical Director. Her current position is as Compliance Executive Physician at Golden Living...
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